Heather Harde
Heather Harde is a prominent figure in the technology media landscape, best known for her role as the general manager of TechCrunch, a leading technology news website. Under her leadership from 2007 to 2011, Harde significantly increased the site's traffic and broadened its brand, transforming it into a multifaceted online empire that included initiatives like CrunchBase and the Disrupt conferences. A graduate of Mount Holyoke College and Harvard Business School, Harde began her career in investment banking before pivoting to media, where she worked with major companies, including Fox Interactive Media.
Harde's influence extended beyond TechCrunch; she served as vice chair of a San Francisco technology advocacy organization, aiming to promote women in tech and impact perceptions of media and technology. After a tumultuous period following TechCrunch's acquisition by AOL, she resigned in 2011 and subsequently engaged in various projects, including co-founding a cryptocurrency investment firm with TechCrunch founder J. Michael Arrington. Throughout her career, Harde has been recognized for her leadership and contributions to the tech industry, earning accolades such as the TechFellows award for Best General Manager and being named one of Fast Company's most influential women in technology. She currently resides in Hawaii.
Subject Terms
Heather Harde
Former CEO of TechCrunch
- Born: ca. 1969
- Place of Birth: Place unknown
Primary Company/Organization: TechCrunch
Introduction
For five years, Heather Harde ran the most successful and most popular technology news site on the Internet. As general manager of the top technology blog on the web, TechCrunch, Harde increased traffic, diversified the brand, and ensured that the blog provided the very latest in technology and start-up news. In her role as vice chair of a San Francisco–based technology innovation organization, Harde inspired women in technology while having a significant impact on perceptions of media and technology.
Early Life
Heather Harde graduated from Mount Holyoke College in 1991 and earned a master's degree in business administration from Harvard Business School in 1996. After completing her education, she began her career as an investment banker for Brown Brothers Harriman and Co. She discovered an interest in media and soon left the world of banking, working for Showtime Networks, News American Marketing, ASkyB, and then Fox Interactive Media, owned by News Corp. During her ten years with News Corp., Harde was involved in the relationship between technology and media. She helped secure $1.3 billion in acquisitions for Fox and proved a capable and popular executive. When J. Michael Arrington, founder of TechCrunch, realized his company was about to explode in popularity, he thought Harde the right person to have by his side.
Life's Work
After a decade working for the Internet branch of Rupert Murdoch's media empire, Arrington recruited Harde to run the day-to-day business of TechCrunch by growing its sales team and managing the company. Harde was not easily lured away from her job with Fox Media, but on March 17, 2007, Arrington officially announced Harde's hiring on his blog.
TechCrunch had published its first blog post on June 11, 2005. At the time, Arrington had considered his blogging on technology news as little more than a hobby. With a background in start-ups, initial public offerings (IPOs), and Internet law, Arrington was in a unique position to learn the latest news from the new technology businesses around Silicon Valley. New businesses would feed him information and tips, and Arrington would in turn post the tips and his research on his blog, creating a virtual newspaper for the latest tech business news. It was not long before he attracted subscribers to his RSS feed. A well-researched and well-formatted tech news blog was unheard of at the time and filled a gap in the online business revolution.
It was not long before the simple blog posts became a business for Arrington, forcing him to hire staff and move the operation out of his house. The company moved from Palo Alto (Silicon Valley) to San Francisco in June of 2010. As the company expanded, so did the range of branded products. TechCrunch went from a simple blog to a multifaceted online empire. Under the direction of Harde, TechCrunch developed CrunchBase, The Crunchies, and the Disrupt conferences.
CrunchBase is one of the main subsidiaries of the TechCrunch blog. Started in 2007, CrunchBase is an online database of who's who in the world of technology. It lists individual investors as well as companies and websites. It focuses on those in the world of venture capital, entrepreneurs, and notable tech executives. Entries provide biographical information and chronologies for people and companies. A section titled Milestones lists notable achievements, from professional accolades to hirings. Although TechCrunch hosts the database and provides must of its information, CrunchBase operates on a open source basis and thus is available for the public to edit. This helps keeps the information up to date, allowing companies to correct their own profiles. The accuracy and completeness of the information on CrunchBase have made it a popular and accepted authority on new technology businesses and the people invest in them.
Harde was very involved in the development of the Disrupt conferences, appealing to both affluent blog readers and the many companies featured on CrunchBase. Disrupt is a series of conferences that highlight the best in new technology and design as well as introduce new tech start-ups to the world. The conferences have been held in New York, Tokyo, and San Francisco, attracting large crowds and a steady stream of entrance-fee revenue. Many new companies attend Disrupt to gain exposure and locate investors among the other attendees. Presentations by the executives at TechCrunch, including Harde and Arrington, are often the highlight of the conference schedule.
The Crunchies are a set of technology awards, bestowed annually in January in San Francisco and first developed by TechCrunch in 2007. The Internet community nominates and votes on firms and individuals for the Crunchies. The awards celebrate start-ups, venture capital firms, and new ideas and leaders in the world of technology.
From the beginning of Harde's tenure with TechCrunch, the company began to flourish and expand past all expectations. In 2010, Arrington decided to sell his company to America Online (AOL) to increase TechCrunch's online presence as well as the sites' technology news offerings. The company was valued at $10 million and sold for at least $25 million.
After AOL acquired the TechCrunch family of websites, Arrington resigned as editor of the blog. Editing had been the only role he kept for himself after he had hired Harde to run the company. In September 2011, it was announced that Arrington would devote his time to the $20 million venture capital fund CrunchFund. He would still be working for AOL but not for the TechCrunch blog. This period was a complicated time for TechCrunch as it clashed with new owner AOL over the differences between traditional journalism models and adapting employees and business perceptions for the web audience. Arrington argued that during the AOL acquisition it was decided that TechCrunch would retain its editorial independence, the very thing that made it so successful, and demanded that AOL return control of the company back to the shareholders. AOL representatives, including Arrington's official boss, Arianna Huffington of The Huffington Post, publicly stated that Arrington had nothing to do with the running of TechCrunch. Confusion and disappointment permeated the employees and contributors to the many websites involved in the acquisition and subsequent overhaul.
Harde was another casualty of the clash between TechCrunch and AOL. A few interoffice e-mails asking for recognition of several members of the AOL family resulted in more conflict between staff and editors. Harde, like many employees involved, felt the growing stress in the office and finally announced her resignation from all of her AOL-related endeavors, specifically TechCrunch, on December 16, 2011.
After leaving TechCrunch, Harde stated in her LinkedIn profile that she was “gainfully unemployed with negative stress.” In February 2012, she took a public role in a start-up civic group in San Francisco called the San Francisco Citizens Initiative for Technology and Innovation. As the vice chair of the tech-based advocacy group, Harde sought to promote the interests of the tech community within the city in terms of employment, legislation, and education. She also served as a trustee of Mount Holyoke College for a time.
In January 2018, Harde reunited with Arrington to cofound the Arrington XRP Capital Fund, a cryptocurrency and blockchain investment firm. The following year it merged with ByteSize Capital but retained its name and Harde as a partner. However, Harde transitioned to strategic advisor in 2023.
Personal Life
Harde was a popular leader at TechCrunch and received the 2011 TechFellows award for Best General Manager. In 2011, Fast Company magazine named her as one of the most influential women in technology. MizWhiz inducted Harde into its Technology Hall of Fame in 2011 as a Media Mogul.
Harde tries to keep her private and professional lives separate and can be considered one of the most popular workaholics in the tech news business. In 2013, Harde defended Arrington publicly in the face of allegations of sexual and physical abuse by former girlfriends. She lives in Hawaii.
Bibliography
Arrington, Michael. “Welcome to TechCrunch Heather.” TechCrunch 17 Mar. 2007. Web. 24 Aug. 2012.
Bercovici, Jeff. “TechCrunch CEO Reported Out after Clashing with HuffPost-ers.” Forbes 17 Nov. 2011. Web. 24 Aug. 2012.
Boyd, E. B. “Most Influential Women in Technology: Heather Harde Vice President. TechCrunch.” Fast Company 2011. Web. 21 Aug. 2012.
Callaghan, Keli. "Arrington Capital Investment Provide Update as Celsius Chapter 11 Plan Confirmed by Court. Arrington Capital, 9 Nov. 2023, www.arringtoncapital.com/blog/arrington-capital-provides-update-as-celsius-chapter-11-plan-confirmed-by-court/. Accessed 6 Mar. 2024.
Harde, Heather. CrunchBase. 2012. Web. 24 Aug. 2012.
Ovide, Shira. “Exactly What Is Tech Crunch Worth?” Wall Street Journal 28 Sept. 2010. Web. 24 Aug. 2012.
“San Francisco Tech Leaders Launch sf.citi.” Cloud Times. 13 Jan. 2012. Web. 24 Aug. 2012.
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Sweney, Mark. “AOL Buys TechCrunch.” The Guardian 29 Sept. 2010. Web. 24 Aug. 2012.
Welch, Liz. “The Way I Work: Michael Arrington of TechCrunch.” Inc. 1 Oct. 2010. Web. 24 Aug. 2012.